"A superb reference book—all the information today's
students need but can't get just by taking
class—every dancer's library should have it."
—Angel
Corella,
Principal Dancer,
American
Ballet
Theatre

Save 25% on the
ultimate reference book for dancers:
The Ballet Companion: A Dancer's Guide to the
Technique, Traditions, and Joys of Ballet by Eliza
Gaynor Minden. Over 200 photographs of steps,
positions, and famous dancers past and present.
Technique tips, great ballets, dancers' health,
etiquette, anatomy, insider info—it's all here.
Hardcover with a pink ribbon page holder. Makes an
elegant gift, too.

The first 20 to
order will get copies signed by the
author. Sale price: $22.50

Save 25% on ALL
Gaynor Minden merchandise if
your order includes The Ballet Companion and
totals
at least $100!

Dance has always
resisted recording, but there's
been no lack of trying by ballet masters over the
centuries. In 1588 Thoinot Arbeau published
Orchesographie, a reference for court
musicians and
dancers that included a notation system and written
descriptions of basic dance steps. Because the steps
themselves were not complicated (women's feet and
ankles couldn't even be seen under the costumes),
the notation consisted mainly of floor patterns.

"The great joy of this
first night [of The
Sleeping Beauty] was the dancing of Alina
Cojocaru as Aurora. Such grace and felicity in
execution, and unaffected elegance in living in the
music, were worthy of the greatest traditions of the
ballet at Covent Garden. It was the performance of a
wonderfully gifted ballerina."

That's from Clement
Crisp, the dean of English
dance critics, in Ballet Review, Fall 2006.
But one doesn't need Crisp's sixty years of
experience (he even saw the legendary Margot Fonteyn
in the role) to be delighted, astonished, and moved
by Alina's dancing.

A principal at The
Royal Ballet, and a Gaynor Minden wearer since 2002,
Alina was born in Bucharest, Romania. She studied
gymnastics starting at age seven, then modern and
popular dance. When she was nine she was accepted at
the Kiev (Ukraine) State Ballet School, but at age
ten she watched a performance of Giselle that
grabbed her heart—she knew for sure she had to
become a ballerina. Alina trained in Kiev until 1998
when at age 16 she attended The Royal Ballet School
on a Prix de Lausanne scholarship. She danced with
the Kiev Ballet for a year and then joined The Royal
Ballet in 1999. Just two years later she was
promoted to principal dancer. Read
more.

Out and About

While in Florida for
the International Association
for Dance Medicine and Sciences conference (please
visit www.iadms.org for
more information), Sales
Director Carlota Benoit and Sales Manager Kiley
Stoker made a visit to New World School of the Arts
in Miami. The intermediate and advanced pointe
students listened attentively to a presentation on
the history of pointe shoes and pointe technique and
afterwards eagerly tried sample Gaynor Minden pointe
shoes.

In New York, Dance
Teacher Liaison Karen Lacy and
Managing Director Joanna Harp attended the "How to
Love Your Pointe Shoes and Respect Your Feet"
workshop presented by The School at Steps and
Pointe
magazine. Students, parents, and teachers
participated in discussions with master teachers, a
podiatrist, and professional dancers. Afterwards,
all were invited to the Pointe Shoe Fair with
representatives from leading shoe manufacturers. All
in all, a very busy October for the sales team!

In the Wings: Aria Alekzander

It's not yet a
household name, but Aria
Alekzander has already caught the eye of some of the
most influential people in the ballet world. As one
of eight new dancers—four women and four men—to join
American Ballet Theatre's Studio Company this fall,
Aria recently moved from her hometown in Anaheim,
California, to the Big Apple to begin a challenging
and exhilarating phase in her career.

After winning the
2004 regional Youth America
Grand Prix title in California, Aria vied for the
New York title in April and was named a finalist in
the senior division. A few months later, she
returned to the city to attend ABT's Summer
Intensive and study with its world-renowned teachers
in the studios that would soon be her home.

Do you know a remarkable dancer? Please tell
us. "In The Wings" is a regular feature of Gaynor
Minden's dancer.COMMENT in which we profile an
extraordinary dancer, nominated by our readers, who
wears Gaynor Minden pointe shoes and who is not
(yet!) a star. Perhaps it's a student who has been
recognized with an award, a scholarship, an
acceptance to a terrific school or program. Or maybe
it's someone whose passion for dance is so strong
that she has had to overcome an obstacle in order to
pursue it. Or possibly it's a gifted teacher whose
talent and generosity have enabled the next
generation to soar.

Please send a brief description of your
remarkable dancer (100 words or fewer), and a photo
of her in her Gaynor Minden pointe shoes (along with
permission to use it), to editor@dancer.com.
Be sure to include
a way for us to contact you, and your dancer.

Message from Eliza

Dancers like Alina
Cojocaru, this month's Featured
GM Artist, are why I love my job. And it's not just
because she's such an extraordinary dancer that I
would, and have, dropped everything to see her
perform. It's because she exemplifies the humanity
and the generosity of spirit that is ballet at its
best.

As you can imagine,
when Alina switched to Gaynor
Mindens we were eager to put her in our ads. I
called and wrote and called some more but Alina
didn't get back to me so I figured she wasn't
interested. Then one day the phone rang and there
she was telling me that she'd like to do it.
"Hooray!" I said to myself. "There's just one
thing," Alina said. I gritted my teeth, fearing that
she would ask for some outrageous compensation. "I
have just been back to Bucharest and it's very hard
for the dancers there, they are poor and can't get
good shoes. So I was wondering if instead of paying
me my fee you could instead send them Gaynor
Mindens."

Thanks to Alina's
compassion and kindness, the
dancers of The Romanian National Ballet no longer
have to worry about their pointe shoes.